In an unexpected incident, A express train in Kerala misses a stoppage and reverses around 700 metres to pick up its passengers.

The incident is reported from Kerala’s Alappuzha district when a loco pilot of the the Shoranur-bound Venad Express missed a halt at Cheriyanad railway station.

Upon realising, the loco pilot reversed the train for almost 700 metres to pick up the passengers who were waiting to board the train. It took place at around 7:45 AM on Monday.

As per reports,  the passengers who were waiting at the  Cheriyanad railway station did not raise any complaints regarding the said matter.

There was a 8-minute lapse in the timing of the train as the train had to roll back but it covered the distance and reached its destination without any delay.

Cheriyanad is a D-grade station between Mavelikarra and Chenagannur stations.

As per some reports, there was no signal by the station master or any other guards to halt the train, which is because the loco pilot missed the stop.

While some reports claimed, there is no signal at Cheriyanad station at all as it is only a halt station and signals are only given at block stations.

Railway officials have also claimed no complaints by the passengers as no inconvenience was caused to them but as per the norms of the department, a detailed enquiry will be done to sought explanation from the loco pilots regarding the matter.   

The incident is an unusual one, as often it happens when there are cases of train reaching stations late, or train getting cancelled but this is one of the first cases, in which a train skips the stoppage and moves ahead, on top of that, the train reverse back to the station as soon as the pilot realises the mistake.

The Kerala High Court has allowed a medical termination of a minor girl’s 8-month pregnancy, impregnated by her brother.

The Court allowed the abortion after the girl’s father had pleaded to get the pregnancy terminated.

The High Court stated the decision was taken to avoid any social and medical complications that may arise and affect the child.

The minor girl is 15-year-old and has a 7-month foetus.

A single bench of Justice Ziyad Rahman announced the decision after taking the report of the medical board into consideration.

The medical board was set up to examine the girl’s medical condition.

Justice Rahman while announcing the decision said the if the 32-week pregnancy will not be aborted now, the girl might face social and mental health problems in the future as the child is born from her own brother.

The Court after examining the medical report of the girl declared the child mentally and physically fit for the termination of her pregnancy.

It is also being said that the medical board in its report stated there are high chances of the girl giving birth to a live baby during the abortion process.  

The bench directed the District Medical Officer of Malappuram and Superintendent of Government Medical College Hospital, Manjeri to immediately take the necessary steps to medically terminate the girl’s pregnancy

Earlier this month, in a similar case the Delhi High Court had allowed the medical termination of pregnancy of a 11-month pregnant minor girl and directed the doctors and police to maintain the privacy of the girl and her family members.

The Delhi High Court in its order stated the Supreme Court judgment in protection of a minor’s identity in cases of medical termination of pregnancy.

In September last year, the Supreme Court had ordered the benefits of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act in favour of minors who engage in consensual sexual activity by barring the concerned medical authorities from disclosing their identity to the local police.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently provided reassurance to the public regarding the validity and acceptance of Rs 2000 notes.

In a statement issued by the central bank on Monday, it said there is no reason for individuals to rush to banks to exchange or deposit these notes. This announcement aims to address the rumours and concerns circulating among the public about the future of the high-value denomination.

The RBI Governor, ShaktiKanta Das, said there is no reason to rush to banks now and people have four months, till September 30.

Das further said the deadline has been given so that people would take it seriously and make an effort to return Rs 2000 denominations. He said banks have been advised to make arrangements for the exchange and the RBI has more than the required notes already printed.

RBI Governor, in a recent press conference, highlighted the need for people to rely on official communications from the central bank rather than base their actions on hearsay or rumours. He urged the public to exercise caution and refrain from indulging in speculative activities related to the currency notes.

The central bank further explained that any decision regarding the withdrawal or discontinuation of a particular currency denomination rests solely with the government. As of now, no such decision has been taken with regard to the Rs 2,000 note. Therefore, the public can continue to use and hold these banknotes without any apprehension.

The Rs 2,000 banknote was introduced by the RBI in November 2016 as part of the government’s demonetisation exercise. It was designed to facilitate high-value transactions and reduce the volume of currency in circulation.

The window to exchange these notes is from May 23 to September 30. They can be exchanged at the 19 RBI regional offices or banks.